Robert --

While the diagnosis can well be done at your local hospital, this is a dangerous and sneaky cancer, the treatment is rigorous and can be debilitating, and where you have it done is extremely important to your outcome, both regarding success (in controlling the disease) and the seriousness (and permanance) of the side effects.

The OCF web site has a section on choosing a Comprehenive Cancer Center -- and why these are the best choice for treatment if at all possible. At the very least, go to one for a second opinion and treatment recommendation. You are in New York so your logical choice would be Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NYC. It is rated #1 for cancer treatment in the USA. We went up to Sloan (from Maryland) for a second opinion on my husband's very similar diagnosis, tonsillar cancer (spread to two lymph nodes), never smoked and he also had his tonsils out as a kid. Turned out he had a human papilloma virus-16 induced cancer (check OCF for more information on this, increasingly found to be a cause of oral cancer.) He was treated at Johns Hopkins, also a CCC.

Treatment optons for head and neck cancer depend in part on how extensive it is (stage) but often involves radiation, with or without chemotherapy as an adjunct, and there may also be surgery. My husband had his cancerous tonsil removed but they would not touch (surgically) the cancer that had spread into the base of his tongue because of possible impacts on speech and swallowing. This and the lymph nodes were treated with chemoradiation. He had no furter surgery.

This was about a year ago and he is doing very well, so although it is a frightening diagnosis and a rough road for a while, it can be beaten.

It is good you have found this Forum, there is a wealth of information and support here...

Good luck,
Gail